In short: Wet and wild but strangely enjoyable....In full: Chose to do this half as part of my build up for a late Nov marathon....so also had to do 50 min run before the race started, which was nice! The course was much better than I had expected and it was great to be able to run on traffic-free paths all the way round. I would echo the previous postings that the marshalls did a fabulous job in really awful conditions. Thanks, particularly to the marshall on the final turn who encouraged me to push hard up the little hill and catch the man up ahead (I did!). Finishing on the track was fun for those of us who don't usually get to run on them! Overall, good race with great support....and very entertaining that the rain stopped just after I had finished!Date of review: November 9, 2009

In short: OK race, not the best but not the worstIn full: This is the 2nd year I have run this race. It's not bad, scenery not so great and this year was a total washout weatherwise but it's quite well organised. Medal is not great though.Date of review: November 9, 2009

In short: Lovely race more than made up for the weatherIn full: The shuttle buses were a great touch as I wouldn't have been able to get to this one, and I would have missed out on a good run.

The route was nice enough, if a bit monotonous. Cycle paths great to run on - plenty of space and traffic free. I might be strange but I quite enjoyed the underpassess for a change of pace every now and then. I would have appreciated if the guy who ran just behind me all the way into the wind had done the gentlemanly thing and done his share but maybe thats asking too much!

The most well-marshalled race I've been in, cheers for sticking it out in the rain!

Good value and does what it says on the tin, will be back next year, raining or not.Date of review: November 8, 2009

In short: It finally stopped lashing as I finished...In full: Back to where I grew up so that my slightly infirm Mum could actually see me run. I echo all the previous comments about truly awful weather, fantastic and numerous marshalls and the wind tunnel in the lower part of Fairlands Valley which must have cost me a couple of minutes (still got a PB tho - shows how slow all my previous races were!).I don't mind the scenery and will certainly be back in 2010.Date of review: November 7, 2009

In short: wet windy but funIn full: Well I sat in the car park at Barnwell School watching the rain tipping down and thougt "shall I not bother?" Having driven the 90 odd miles from Warwick and seeing the other runners making their way to the start i had no choice but to do it.To be honest yes it was really heavy rain at the start but even with all the wind not cold.It was pointless trying to wear my glasses so I carried them in my pocket.Course wise I reckon it was ok,some people thought it was hilly because of the underpasses and so on but I found it in a way pretty flat,I certainly didn't have that puffed out feeling one sometimes gets at the top of a steep hill.I found the 2 lap method ok and yes the marshalls were brill,I'd rather be running than standing anyday.I was happy with my time of 1.52.28,a guy I spoke to on the way back to the car park said it wasn't a particularly fast course on account of the underpasses etc. Also the strong headwind on one part of the course slowed a lot of people up I guess. All in all a good event which certainly sorted out the Women/Men from the Girls /Boys as someone mentioned earlier,at the end of the day it's only a bit of water!Date of review: November 4, 2009

In short: 2nd lap first pleaseIn full: I wasn't sure what I was doing sheltering, with no success, from the rain in the stands before the race... but that runner spirit stuff gets you going despite the conditions. Another trip down my girlhood memory lane - returning to my home town to run - so each twist and turn of the course held a memory and kept me going. The marshals were fantastic - the poor lady at mile 9 drew the very unlucky straw in my opinion. Thank you to the jelly baby lady at mile 11 and the singing lady on the other side of the underpass going into the valley (mile 5?) AND all the others too. Glad the rain stopped just before I finished as it made the end more bearable! Will be back. Thank youDate of review: November 3, 2009

In short: Very good and friendly marshalls In full: Yes it was raining, but then it does in November. The organisation was a great improvement on last year although it would have been easier to post chips and numbers surely. Despite the slightly drab urban setting i quite like the course - no major issue but would have been good to do the longer loop first time round. Thanks very much to everyone who turned up in the pouring rain to make the event work so wellDate of review: November 3, 2009

In short: A benign course which was tough this timeIn full: The weather was awful of course, but you take the luck of that when you book to run in advance. I enjoy wet conditions (perverse, I know) but not running into a wind tunnel which this was in parts. I really admire the marshalls for standing there so stoically - much harder than running on a wet day. The course is fine - a PB possibility in good conditions. I agree with another poster who suggested it may be better to do the longer loop through the park on the first lap as it's better for morale. Overall, I enjoyed it, so many thanks to FVS for organising it.Date of review: November 2, 2009